Re: [Gnumed-devel] debian install gnumed-client 0.3.10-1 package overwrites ntp.conf

[Karsten Hilbert]

Hello Jim,

> When doing
>
>       apt-get install gnumed-client (3.10x)
which version did you have on that machine before that ?

gnumed-client has a dependancy on ntp which it will thus
cause to be installed, too. It is the NTP package which then
wants to install its current config file, not the
gnumed-client package.

> Can the gnumed-client .deb provide additional information to help the  
> installing user to know if it would be safe to overwrite an existing  
> ntp.conf file
This behaviour is an integral part of Debian. All GNUmed can
do about it is to state: "Installing the client will cause
dependancies to be installed which may lead to configuration
file updates which may include conflicts which you may have
to resolve." Not very helpful, I'd say. It is entirely
impossible to know whether it is OK/desirable/in the best
interest of the user to simply overwrite that file. After
all, the manual change to the file was done by the user for
a reason.

Another one of the reasons why we always stress that our
doctors should ascertain themselves of knowledgeable help
when using software in production. It is

> or to suppress such a prompt by removing the choice from 
> the user and just overwriting the file?
That's how it works on Windows and we know where such things
lead. Package A thinking "I know best" and package B "No, I
do".

> Or should a user be warned to 
> recheck if their system was no longer pointed to suitable servers?
Well, the only really sensible (but useless) advice would be
to tell the user "you really should know what you are doing
before attempting to self-maintain an in-production practice
management IT system".

People who want to learn will come here and ask ...

> FYI I chose "D" in order to generate the output at bottom, and then  
> accepted to install the package maintainer's version.
You did the right thing on a deliberate choice. That's how
that prompt is intended to work.

Karsten
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